1 Samuel 17
17
David and Goliath
1The Philistines gathered their armies for war. They met at Socoh in Judah and camped at Ephes Dammim between Socoh and Azekah. 2Saul and the Israelites gathered in the Valley of Elah and camped there and took their positions to fight the Philistines. 3The Philistines controlled one hill while the Israelites controlled another. The valley was between them.
4The Philistines had a champion fighter from Gath named Goliath. He was about nine feet, four inches tall. He came out of the Philistine camp 5with a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of bronze armor that weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. 6He wore bronze protectors on his legs, and he had a bronze spear on his back. 7The wooden part of his larger spear was like a weaver’s rod, and its blade weighed about fifteen pounds. The officer who carried his shield walked in front of him.
8Goliath stood and shouted to the Israelite soldiers, “Why have you taken positions for battle? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants! Choose a man and send him to fight me. 9If he can fight and kill me, we will be your servants. But if I can kill him, you will be our servants.” 10Then he said, “Today I stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me!” 11When Saul and the Israelites heard the Philistine’s words, they were very scared.
12Now David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons. In Saul’s time Jesse was an old man. 13His three oldest sons followed Saul to the war. The first son was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. 14David was the youngest. Jesse’s three oldest sons followed Saul, 15but David went back and forth from Saul to Bethlehem, where he took care of his father’s sheep.
16For forty days the Philistine came out every morning and evening and stood before the Israelite army.
17Jesse said to his son David, “Take this half bushel of cooked grain and ten loaves of bread to your brothers in the camp. 18Also take ten pieces of cheese to the commander and to your brothers. See how your brothers are and bring back some proof to show me that they are all right. 19Your brothers are with Saul and the army in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
20Early in the morning David left the sheep with another shepherd. He took the food and left as Jesse had told him. When David arrived at the camp, the army was going out to their battle positions, shouting their war cry. 21The Israelites and Philistines were lining up their men to face each other in battle.
22David left the food with the man who kept the supplies and ran to the battle line to talk to his brothers. 23While he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out. He shouted things against Israel as usual, and David heard him. 24When the Israelites saw Goliath, they were very much afraid and ran away.
25They said, “Look at this man! He keeps coming out to challenge Israel. The king will give much money to whoever kills him. He will also let whoever kills him marry his daughter. And his father’s family will not have to pay taxes in Israel.”
26David asked the men who stood near him, “What will be done to reward the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? Who does this uncircumcised Philistine think he is? Does he think he can speak against the armies of the living God?”
27The Israelites told David what would be done for the man who would kill Goliath.
28When David’s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking with the soldiers, he was angry with David. He asked David, “Why did you come here? Who’s taking care of those few sheep of yours in the desert? I know you are proud and wicked at heart. You came down here just to watch the battle.”
29David asked, “Now what have I done wrong? Can’t I even talk?” 30When he turned to other people and asked the same questions, they gave him the same answer as before. 31Yet what David said was told to Saul, and he sent for David.
32David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. I, your servant, will go and fight this Philistine!”
33Saul answered, “You can’t go out against this Philistine and fight him. You’re only a boy. Goliath has been a warrior since he was a young man.”
34But David said to Saul, “I, your servant, have been keeping my father’s sheep. When a lion or bear came and took a sheep from the flock, 35I would chase it. I would attack it and save the sheep from its mouth. When it attacked me, I caught it by its fur and hit it and killed it. 36I, your servant, have killed both a lion and a bear! This uncircumcised Philistine will be like them, because he has spoken against the armies of the living God. 37The Lord who saved me from a lion and a bear will save me from this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” 38Saul put his own clothes on David. He put a bronze helmet on his head and dressed him in armor. 39David put on Saul’s sword and tried to walk around, but he was not used to all the armor Saul had put on him.
He said to Saul, “I can’t go in this, because I’m not used to it.” Then David took it all off. 40He took his stick in his hand and chose five smooth stones from a stream. He put them in his shepherd’s bag and grabbed his sling. Then he went to meet the Philistine.
41At the same time, the Philistine was coming closer to David. The man who held his shield walked in front of him. 42When Goliath looked at David and saw that he was only a boy, tanned and handsome, he looked down on David with disgust. 43He said, “Do you think I am a dog, that you come at me with a stick?” He used his gods’ names to curse David. 44He said to David, “Come here. I’ll feed your body to the birds of the air and the wild animals!”
45But David said to him, “You come to me using a sword and two spears. But I come to you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the armies of Israel! You have spoken against him. 46Today the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll kill you and cut off your head. Today I’ll feed the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds of the air and the wild animals. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel! 47Everyone gathered here will know the Lord does not need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to him, and he will hand you over to us.”
48As Goliath came near to attack him, David ran quickly to meet him. 49He took a stone from his bag, put it into his sling, and slung it. The stone hit the Philistine and went deep into his forehead, and Goliath fell facedown on the ground.
50So David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. He did not even have a sword in his hand. 51Then David ran and stood beside him. He took Goliath’s sword out of its holder and killed him by cutting off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. 52The men of Israel and Judah shouted and chased the Philistines all the way to the entrance of the city of Gath and to the gates of Ekron.
The Philistines’ bodies lay on the Shaaraim road as far as Gath and Ekron. 53The Israelites returned after chasing the Philistines and robbed their camp. 54David took Goliath’s head to Jerusalem and put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
55When Saul saw David go out to meet Goliath, Saul asked Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, who is that young man’s father?”
Abner answered, “As surely as you live, my king, I don’t know.”
56The king said, “Find out whose son he is.”
57When David came back from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul. David was still holding Goliath’s head.
58Saul asked him, “Young man, who is your father?”
David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
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1 Samuel 17: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
1 Samuel 17
17
David and Goliath
1Now the Philistines #ch. 13:5 gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at #Josh. 15:35 Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and #Josh. 10:10; Neh. 11:30 Azekah, in #[1 Chr. 11:13]Ephes-dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in #ver. 19; ch. 21:9the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named #[2 Sam. 21:19; 1 Chr. 20:4] Goliath of #ch. 21:10; Josh. 11:22; 13:3Gath, whose height was six#17:4 Hebrew; Septuagint, Dead Sea Scroll and Josephus four cubits#17:4 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters and a span. 5He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels#17:5 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of bronze. 6And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a #ver. 45javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. #ver. 41And his shield-bearer went before him. 8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and #ch. 8:17are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants #[ch. 11:1]and serve us.” 10And the Philistine said, #ver. 25, 26, 36, 45; [2 Sam. 21:21]“I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12Now David was #ver. 58; ch. 16:1, 18; Ruth 4:22 the son of an #Gen. 35:19 Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, #ver. 58; ch. 16:1, 18 named Jesse, #ch. 16:10, 11; [1 Chr. 2:13-15]who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.#17:12 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew advanced among men 13The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And #ch. 16:6, 8, 9; [1 Chr. 2:13]the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14#ch. 16:11David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15but David went back and forth from Saul #ch. 16:19to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
17And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah#17:17 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18#[ch. 16:20] Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. #[Gen. 37:14]See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”
19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to #ch. 26:5, 7the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22And David left the #[Isa. 10:28; Acts 21:15]things in charge of the keeper of the #[Isa. 10:28; Acts 21:15]baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23As he talked with them, behold, #ver. 4 the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke #ver. 8the same words as before. And David heard him.
24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to #ver. 10, 36, 45 defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches #[Josh. 15:16]and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away #ch. 11:2 the reproach from Israel? For who is this #See Judg. 14:3 uncircumcised Philistine, that he should #[See ver. 25 above] defy the armies of #Deut. 5:26; Josh. 3:10the living God?” 27And the people answered him in the same way, #ver. 25“So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
28Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke #ver. 26, 27in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32And David said to Saul, #[Deut. 20:3] “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. #[ch. 16:18]Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, #ver. 10, 26for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37And David said, #[2 Tim. 4:17] “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, #[ch. 20:13; 1 Chr. 22:11, 16]and the Lord be with you!”
38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, #ver. 7with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, #ch. 16:12ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, “Am I #ch. 24:14; 2 Sam. 3:8; 9:8; 16:9; 2 Kgs. 8:13a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh #ver. 46to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with #ver. 6 a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, #[See ver. 36 above]whom you have defied. 46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. #Deut. 28:26 And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day #ver. 44 to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, #1 Kgs. 18:36; [Josh. 4:24]that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that #Hos. 1:7; [Ps. 44:6, 7; Zech. 4:6] the Lord saves not with sword and spear. #2 Chr. 20:15For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine #ch. 21:9; [2 Sam. 23:21] and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, #[Heb. 11:34]they fled. 52And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath#17:52 Septuagint; Hebrew Gai and the gates of #Josh. 15:11 Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from #Josh. 15:36 Shaaraim as far as #See ver. 4Gath and Ekron. 53And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54And David took #ver. 57 the head of the Philistine #[2 Sam. 5:6, 7]and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
55As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, #2 Sam. 2:8 the commander of the army, “Abner, #[ch. 16:21, 22] whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, #See ch. 1:26“As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul #ver. 54with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, #ver. 12“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
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